I think I just lost gamer street cred

Not that I ever had it, but seriously, ever since the little one arrived I have to do what I have never done. I have to play games on easy. Yes. I said it. It is freaking embarrassing. But you just don't understand. I would not be able to make any progress on any game if I played above the most elementary of difficulty.


Is this some sort of noob-again experience? I am not sure. All I know is I thoroughly enjoy my gaming time now that I have so LITTLE of it. I tried trudging through Dragon Age: Awakenings on the normal difficulty setting, but it just wasn't happening. I looked around, over my shoulder, then adjusted the difficulty mid-battle.

I hope my son never finds out, it's downright shameful.

New game to play...GO TO SLEEP BABY!!!! Now for the Kinect!

Seriously, why not? I know that I would buy this game! Heck you could base it off this totally awesome bedtime book. I find it insane that this 8 pound creature can eat for AN HOUR AN FUCKING HALF and not pass out! Then when he is playing drowsy my wife and I glow, in awe of our adorable creation. Until his eyes shoot open as if to blast us with baby lasers. But I digress.

Imagine it's late at night, you are bored to tears from trying to get the little bugger to sleep. Just turn on the Xbox and use the Kinect to sway, swing, bounce, plead and pray for respite. Achievements could be, Restrain Your Primal Scream, DON'T SHAKE THE BABY!, or Sing-Nonsense Words In Hopes Of Hypnotizing The Child And Finally Get Some God Damn Rest.

Kinect Rock-a-Baby, in stores soon!

Parenthood is grand.

Forsooth, it's Forsaken

A little review written by me for a F2P mmo, enjoy!

Forsaken World you are a tricky vixen. I truly wanted to despise you. To begin, the character race and class choices would be familiar to any who have played a fantasy mmorpg within the last 10 years. Relatively uninspired and borrowed models and themes hinder customizing your character looks. After selecting an effeminate male elf (though nearly all of the male choices are effeminate) and choosing the bard class (what can I say, love destroying my enemies with power of song) I started my journey. Not before I choose a birth date for my toon, which would come into play later I assumed.

At the initial launch I was surprised and disappointed that the graphics settings were already at the highest settings. Visually Forsaken World is dated. The characters glide over the terrain not planted in their virtual existence. After accepting several standard fare quests I pushed past the lack luster presentation into the combat mechanics. Not being terribly different from its competitors, Forsaken World’s combat mechanics plays it safe for the most part. However, while playing the bard a set of musical scales and treble cleft is floating on the left hand side of your screen. Using certain abilities in succession acts as notes being played and those notes can then activate a song, which imbues a temporary buff. For that I gave points for being interesting at least. The particle effects of the spells are actually quite nice, and gave me pause to really look at the concept of the art for the game. After destroying several miscreant treants, I eased up on the graphics a bit.

The aforementioned birth date is tied in with the game’s storyline and prayer function. Depending on the in game date your character may be affected by celestial events, providing in game benefits. You can also say a little prayer to gain items and experience several times a session. Though I could not tell if being under the affect of particular sign truly benefited my play it added something a little different to already typical experience.

The npc enemy designs are fairly typical and re-spawn incredibly soon after being defeated. Huge fields filled with bloodthirsty beasts, just waiting for you to destroy ten of them. Though vicious they may seem, standing in their midst did not incur their wrath, even as I slaughtered their brethren. It was after slaying a handful of creatures I was nearly ready to turn off the game. I checked the quest book to see who to turn the quest into and noticed that the npc’s name was hyperlinked. I clicked on it and my character started moving towards the npc, across the zone. The game had me at that point for some reason, call it hand holding or putting the game on rails, whatever, I liked it. I think some may argue that this can discourage some players from exploring, but it kept me playing for a little longer than I planned for some reason. Maybe it saved me the time of searching for the npc in huge city or that it cycled me from one quest, regardless, it’s a nice function for those who tend to get lost or easily distracted.

Through the auto-routing option I leveled my bard to level 10, acquired my trade skills and several pets. I would find other aspects of the game as my elf ran from place to place, exploring menu options and such. I discovered a calendar of events and planner that suggest appropriate activities based on the amount of time you have for that session’s play. 
 

There is something charming about this game. It is not polished, groundbreaking or breathtaking. It probably won’t win any awards or be a fan favorite, but it has a thin veil of charisma. In a sea of F2P options, a little charm can go a long way.

Bottom Line: If you have run to the bottom of the well of mmorpg choices, you could do worse than Forsaken World.            

Add son, subtract gaming?

Hello all! It has finally happened. On 03/27/2011 my son was born! It is an amazing, profound shift in how you view your priorities. I am not surprised that I am generally more interested in baby TV than I am my Xbox, though I have put some hours in over the past couple of weeks while the little guy naps on my chest or his bouncy chair. I know I have become much more sensitive to the type of game I play, even though he isn't aware of it, I am. I guess I am editing myself for content from here on out, no easy task to say the least.

I did take advantage of a discount sale on XBLA last week for Costume Quest. I am a huge Double Fine/Schaeffer fan, I mean I actually liked Brutal Legend. Costume Quest had a flavor of Earthbound for the SNES, great fun, funny dialog and great concept.

I have a challenge for you all, and it is a timely one!

Do something nice for a 1st time parent-

These past weeks have been made easier by friends and family dropping off dinner every night to help us make an adjustment. I really don't know what I would be eating if weren't for these folks. 

Or.

Walk their dog or take out the recycling or some such chore. It makes a difference.

So while its not a "major" charity, it does help your immediate community. Do it!

Child of the Wild, from the land of ice, of snow

A meager child was I, barely worth the spit of the great mammoth that was the totem spirit of our tribe. My parents wanted much for me to be the heroic hunter, to chase the snow cats away with wild spear shaking and screams of manic fury! But alas, I was not this child. I had one desire, deep in my primitive heart, a simple dream really. I wanted to DANCE!

Time to show your support!

I am joining the bandwagon and reposting a blog from Cat @ N4G.com. Totally inline with what I believe here at HBC!

From Cat:

You can read my original blog post here, but in the interest of not being a big giant advert, the content is:

Hey, N4Gers! A rather serious post for you here, though one I think we can all tackle with vigor. The devastation in Japan is difficult for most of us to imagine, but what we have seen and heard makes us want to help however we can. For most of us, so far from the disaster, we won't ever feel like we can do enough.

Below you will find a list of organizations that are active in Japan disaster relief. We aren't advocating any of these charities over another, but have sought to provide you with a respectable list - please do your own research so you can give responsibly!

We, N4G, have donated $3000 to MSF (Medicins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders) on behalf of the N4G community. MSF currently has several teams in Northern Japan, with more teams on the way. Their doctors, nurses and support staff work alongside the Japanese disaster authorities to provide aid in the wake of the earthquakes and tsunami.

Thank you to all of you for being a part of N4G, we're grateful for this opportunity to give with you.

Medicins Sans Frontieres/Doctors Without Borders) http://www.msf.org/msf/donations/donations_home.cfm

Japanese Red Cross Society JAPANESE RED CROSS SOCIETY?ENGLISH

UNICEF Help Children :: Humanitarian Aid & Emergency Relief :: U.S. Fund for UNICEF - UNICEF USA

Save the Children Official Site - Save the Children

International Medical Corps International Medical Corps - International Medical Corps

Direct Relief International Direct Relief International

AmeriCare AmeriCares Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Aid Organization

World Vision Sponsor a Child < Home | World Vision - Child Sponsorship

Convoy of Hope Convoy of Hope, a driving passion to feed the world. &mdash; Convoy of Hope

International Rescue Committee International Rescue Committee | The International Rescue Committee goes to crisis zones to rescue and rebuild. We lead refugees from harm to home.

Dog Juan de Barko

This is the name that my wife used to describe our dog the other night. The short legged Aussie/Corgi mix is a romancer, a citadel of mystery and lover of anyone who glances in his direction. He IS Dog Juan de Barko. If you are not careful he will skillfully plant a kiss in your open mouth. Like a viper he will strike, distracting you with his blue-blue eyes. He toys with you as he lay at your feet and exposes his belly, inviting you to give him a scratch. However if you do so, you enter a dangerous tango.

He will pierce with his eyes from across  the room, summoning you to the couch where he can inflict his de Barko powers upon you.

He is Dog Juan de Barko, and you have been warned.